Author Ben Mears is haunted by memories of growing up in Salem's Lot, with an incident at the Marsten House being the focus of his nightmares. In an attempt to exorcise his demons, Ben has returned to the lot to write a book and finally put the Marsten House to bed. On arriving in town, Ben attempts to rent the long-empty haunted house, only to discover that it has already been sold.....and this is not the only strange occurrence in town, one child has gone missing and another has a strange, wasting, bloodless illness. What's happening in Salem's Lot, are vampires real and can Ben and his friends survive the night? I first read this under the duvet at the ...  Read the complete review

One of Stephen King's first novels, this was written in 1975 and as with many of his books is centred in Maine. Rumour has it that this novel was going to be called Second Coming but his wife thought it would attract all the wrong sort of reader so Jerusalem's Lot or rather Salem's Lot it was. This was the first of his books I ever read and as an impressionable 14 year old it made quite an impact. It is certainly a book I would recommend as while the film is not a bad representation of the book, the imagination is so much more powerful than celluloid. I should admit now that I read most Vampire books so am biased. The Plot. Twenty five ...  Read the complete review

Salem's Lot is Stephen King's second novel written in 1975 and takes its name form the town of Jerusalem's Lot. It is the story of a quiet mundane town which is under siege from the forces of darkness. The title that King originally chose for the book was 'Second Coming' but then he later decided on Jerusalem's Lot. The publishers, Doubleday, decided to shortened it to the current title, thinking that it sounded too religious. The novel has been adapted into a television mini-series twice, first in 1979, starring David Soul and in 2004 starring Rob Lowe. It is considered to be one of the most terrifying vampire novels ever written, ...  Read the complete review

With the modern day vampire tales telling of how the heroine falls in love with the vampire etc getting a bit tiresome I wanted to go back to some old school horror and who better to turn to than the master of horror himself, Stephen King! Stephen King is known for his gruesome and weird tales of the paranormal, supernatural and down right weird. He's an author who basis practically all of his stories in Maine and has been successfully writing for the past sixty years. So what's Salem's Lot about I hear you cry? Well for those who don't know here's a brief summary: Plot: The main character is a guy called Ben Mears who grew up ...  Read the complete review

Salem's Lot has to be one of the best Stephen King books out there, even if it was not one of his bestselling books. Most people would compare it with any old vampire story, but the mere fact that Stephen King wrote this vampire story means there's more - bloodcurdling fear, the ever-so expected twists and turns, and the elusive nature of the written word. Will you find out on the next page, the next chapter, what he's really thinking? What's really happening? Maybe, maybe not. That's what makes this book so compelling, your nose will be stuck in it until the last word. Ben Mears wants a quiet place to write, and to mourn the passing of his wife. ...  Read the complete review